Physical armor

The mortal body is a fragile shell easily broken under the assault of every day life in a world such as Mid-Land. While it is possible for a character to condition their body through physical training (represented by the purchase of body points) there is a limit to the body's ability to absorb damage. To counter act this limitation, many characters opt to wear physical armor such as suits of chain or plate. Physical armor is very strong and allows the character to gain more points than magical armor can offer but often weighs a great deal and slows the player down. Unlike spell armor, physical armor is immune to the spell Dispel magic assuring the character will not lose their protection to a quickly tossed beanbag! Any character is allowed to wear up to two points of armor without expending skill points, but must buy the skill Armor training to wear more than this amount. The maximum number of physical armor points any character can obtain is five. To gain five points of armor the character would have to wear four points of armor (plate or chain and plate) and a helm. This limit does not include spell armor which allows the character two more points of armor for a total of seven (five physical and two magical). The first question typically asked after hearing the limit of five points of physical armor is "what if I wear more armor on other locations of my body, will this increase my armor points"? Armor in Mid-Land is based on coverage meaning a player is not allowed to claim their armor points against hits that strike an unarmored area. For example, if a character wearing a waist length chain shirt is hit in the shin the damage goes to their body points and not their three points of armor. This rules has two effects on game play, one it rewards players that own and are fit enough to wear lots of armor and two, skilled fighters can exploit openings in an opponent's armor! An area is considered totally covered if the armor in that area covers 75% or more of the location. It is not possible to skip through an opponent's armor by hitting small gaps in protection such as the skin between a player's glove and forearm armor. Mixing armor to gain a greater amount of coverage is a common practice and often allows a player to develop a highly protective and adaptive style of armor. For example, wearing a chain shirt under a metal breastplate allows the character to have the protection of plate combined with the flexibility of chain. Layering or combining armor types never allows a player to increase the number of armor points they have above five. Combining or layering armor does not give a player more than one armor point value. The character still has a single, or main, armor value for their entire body. A Character's main armor value is based on the majority of armor the character is wearing. For example, if the character is wearing a knee length padded jacket and one metal arm guard their main armor value will be one point. Players are allowed to increase the coverage area of their armor by wearing armor types that do not match their main armor value [As in the example above]. The armor value of the mismatched armor must be within one point of, or exceed the character's main armor value. For example, A character wearing a chain shirt [armor value: 3] can increase coverage by wearing armor with an armor value of 2-4 on any other parts of their body. Armor with a value of one will not increase coverage or improve the character's main armor value. This rule also applies to helmets.

The rules of wearing armor

A Game Master has the right to inspect a player's armor at any time and is not required to give a reason.

A Game Master is allowed to remove armor from play for any reason they deem fit and at any time they feel necessary. In most cases armor is removed because it is unsafe or damaged.

A Game Master is allowed to declare a player unfit to wear armor and order them to remove their armor at any time. Typically a player is declared unfit due to health reasons.

The more armor a player wears the harder their opponents might need to hit them. Players are not allowed to wear large amounts of armor then complain that opponents are hitting them with more force.

If a player is wearing armor so rigid that there is no chance they will feel a legal blow they must train themselves to acknowledge shots by other means such as sound or visual spotting. If a player is unable to do this they will not be allowed to wear the armor in question.

Armor must never impede the normal movement of a player's body in a fashion that endangers the wearer or prevents the player from following the rules of the game. For example, if a player is wearing armor that prevents them from kneeling they are unable to properly accept leg wounds and are cheating.

Armor must be attached or fitted on the body with proper integrated closures such as buckles, laces, or snaps. Players are not allowed to jury rig armor to their body with tape, string, or similar temporary means.

Players in armor must respect the safety of all other players when in combat and avoid physical contact at any cost. Even two armored foes making unexpected contact can cause severe physical injury!

The wearing of a helmet does not permit players to hit the armored character in the head.

Wearing armor does not count as a costume and players are required to wear a proper costume under their armor at all times. This includes racial make-up EVEN if the player is wearing a helmet.

Armor that is proven to cause unreasonable damage to weapons will be removed from play.

Armor values

1 point armor

Padded armor: One half inch of padding (foam, horsehair) covered or sewn into cloth. Does not include multiple layers of normal garb.

Light leather: Flexible leather 1/16 of an inch thick or thinner. Includes light leather with external fur.

2 point armor

Reinforced padded armor: As padded above reinforced with metal studs, rings, or plates set no farther than 2 inches apart and covering 100% of the armor's surface. Also includes suits of padded armor with an inch of padding or more.

Reinforced light leather: As light leather above reinforced with metal studs, rings, or plates set no farther than 2 inches apart and covering 100% of armor's surface. Also includes armor made from overlapping pieces such as scale armor.

Heavy leather: Flexible leather 1/8 of an inch thick to 1/2 of an inch thick.

3 point armor

Chain armor: Armor made of interlocking metal ring no larger than one half inch in diameter.

Reinforced heavy leather: As heavy leather above reinforced with metal studs, rings, or plates set no farther than 2 inches apart and covering 100 % of the armor's surface. Also includes armor made from overlapping pieces such as leather scale armor.

Hide: Inflexible leather 1/8 inch or thicker. Also includes waxed or water hardened leather.

4 point armor

Chain and plate: Armor made of interlocking metal rings no larger than one half inch in diameter and containing solid metal plates covering at least 50% of the armor's surface. Also includes metal armor worn over a separate chain shirt. Metal plates must be made of metal 1/16 of an inch thick or thicker.

Plate: Armor made from solid pieces of formed metal. The metal in plate armor must be 1/16 of an inch thick or thicker.

Helmets

Helmets are an enigma in a location based armor system that does not allow for head shots. Since wearing a helmet in no way adds to the coverage area of legal strike zones, they are handled differently than normal armor. A player wearing a helmet gains one additional armor point that is considered "universal". This means that a character wearing a helmet can count that single armor point no matter where they get hit even if the area hit is not covered by armor. This applies even if the player is wearing no other armor than the helm. For example a character wearing a metal breastplate and a chain coif is hit in the leg for three points of damage. The coif absorbs one point of damage and the rest of the damage goes to the character's body points. The player is not allowed to apply the four points of armor from their breastplate because the blow did not hit that area.

Armor construction

All armor worn by players must be REAL armor constructed in a traditional fashion and made of authentic looking materials. It is not acceptable for characters to tape plates of metal to a shirt and call it plate or spray paint a wool sweater silver and call it chain! Players are allowed to use unauthentic materials such as plastic and aluminum to save on weight or cost, but armor of this nature must be constructed in a fashion that conceals the unauthentic nature of the materials. Armor that ruins the atmosphere of the game will be removed and forbidden from play! Players have a large amount of leeway in the design of their armor, how it looks, and is constructed. Mid-Land is a fantasy game so players might employ components not normally seen in "medieval" armor such as snaps or nickel-plated buckles. Many players stick to authentic armor designs because it presents the image of typical fantasy armor and patterns and examples of construction are easier to find.

Shields

Players are allowed to use shields if they have the skill Shield Fighting. Shields must be made of a material strong enough to endure the rigors of combat, but not so solid and heavy that they pose a danger in combat. Typically, shields are made of wood, metal, or plastic. Shields made of plastic MUST be covered to hide all plastic surfaces. This can be done with cloth, leather, and paint. Metal shields must also be covered with cloth, leather, or paint to prevent the shield from reflecting sunlight into the eyes of other players. The edges of a shield must be covered in one half inch of foam [pipe insulation works well] to prevent the hard edge of the shield from injuring other players or damaging weapons. The foam should be snuggly secured to the shield with tape, glue, or cord to prevent the foam from falling off during combat. Shields require at least one handhold for the player to control the shield in combat. The shield must be controlled with the hand to count as a shield. Shields and bucklers that simply strap to the arm are not allowed. Shields worn on any other part of the body [back, side, etc.] does not count as a shield or armor. The face of the shield should be free of hazards like exposed screws or splinters that might cause an injury in combat. Since head shots and physical contact are not allowed during combat, many of the techniques designed to defeat shields [head shots, etc.] are not possible during play. For this reason, shields are restricted in size. No shield can exceed 706 square inches. No single dimension of the shield may exceed 40 inches. The largest round shield allowed in play may not exceed a 30 inches in diameter circle.